Effect of remote nursing monitoring on overweight in women: clinical trial.
Catia Suely Palmeira, Fernanda Carneiro Mussi, Carlos Antônio Souza de Teles Santos and 3 others
PMID 30916230WHAT IT FOUND
Weekly telephone calls from nurses helped overweight women lose weight compared to routine clinic visits alone.
The intervention group had a mean weight reduction of 1.66 kg and a BMI decrease of 0.66 kg/m2. Waist circumference also decreased by 2.5 cm, though this was borderline significant.
Key findings
01The intervention group showed a statistically significant reduction in mean weight of 1.66 kg and mean BMI of 0.66 kg/m2 compared to the control group.
02The control group experienced a statistically significant increase in weight over the study period, while the intervention group's weight decrease was not statistically significant within its own group.
03Waist circumference in the intervention group decreased by 2.5 cm compared to the control group, with a borderline statistical significance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The intervention duration was short (three months), which the authors note may be insufficient to capture long-term effects or sustained weight loss. The weight loss achieved was modest (1.66 kg) and did not reach the 5-10% reduction often cited as clinically meaningful for metabolic health. The study population was limited to women, so results may not generalize to men. Attrition occurred in both groups, with slightly more dropouts in the intervention group (38 analyzed out of 51) compared to the control group (43 analyzed out of 50).
Declared interests
No specific conflicts of interest or funding sources are detailed in the provided text, though the study was extracted from a doctoral dissertation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the 1.66 kg weight loss as a major clinical achievement or a substitute for intensive lifestyle programs. The effect size is small, and the primary benefit observed was preventing the weight gain seen in the control group rather than inducing substantial weight loss.